Welt closing mechanism for full fashioned hosiery machines



WELT CLOSING MECHANISM FOR FULL FASHIONED HOSIERY MACHINES Filed April 12, 1930 a Sheets- Sheet 1 LilTA/ESSES INVENTOR: C7

64. m Jvsejm Mums;

/ I BY W TTORNEYSV J. HAINES. JR

Sept. 1, 1931.

WELT CLOSING MECHANISMFOR FULL FA SHIONED HOSIERY MACHINES Filed April 12, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet. 2

INVENTOR: Jsgviz jmwesflir,

ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 1, 1931. .1. HAINES. JR 1,821,154

WELT CLOSING MECHANISM FOR FULL FASHIONED HOSIERY MACHINES Filed April 12, 1930 3 SheetSSheei 3 WITNESSES 1NVI;:NTOR:

@Ziai BYWW ATTORNEYS.

I on such machines.

Patented Sept. 1, 1931 om'rao STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSMH HAINES, JR., OF MEADOWBROOK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO 'HAINES HOSIERY MILIIS INC., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 01' PENNSYLVANIA WELT CLOSING- MECHANISM FOR FULL FASHIONED HOSIEB Y MAGHINES Application filed April 12,

This invention relates to mechanism useful in connection with full fashioned hosiery knitting machines to close the turn-overs or welts at the tops of the stockings produced More particularly, my invention has reference to welt closing mechanism of the type shown and described in a co-pending application, Serial No. 430,566

filed by me on February 24, 1930, wherein, after suitable lengths of fabric have been knit for the stocking'welts, the welt bars are mounted on the frame of the narrowing mechanism, and wherein the dipping motion of said mechanism is utilized to bring the hooks of the welt bar into contact with the needles of the machine with attendant transfer of the fabric. loops on said hooks to the needles of the machine to close the welts.

The present invention has for its object the 29 provision ofa simple and easily manipulated means for accurately positioning and detachably securing the welt bars individually (instead of in pairs as in the application supra) to the frame of the narrowing mechanism, with assurance of accurate registry as between the welt bar hooks and the needles to which the loops are to be transferred incident to closing ofthe stocking welts.

In the attached drawings, Fig. I is a cross 39 sectional view of a full fashioned hosiery knitting machine conveniently embodying my present improvements.

Fig. II is a fragmentary view in front elevation compi'ehending one of the knitting sections of the machine with omission of various parts which are not essential to the understanding of my invention.

Fig. III is a detail view in front elevation and on a larger scale than Figs. I and II, showing my novel means for definitely positioning and detachably securing the welt bars 4 individually to the frame of the narrowing I mechanism of th'e'knitting machine.

' Fig. IV is a detail cross sectional view taken as indicated by the arrows IV.IV in Fig. III; and

Fig. V is a view similar to the immediately receding, taken as indicated by the arrows V in Fig. III.

Generally speaking, the knitting machine 1930. SBriaINO. 443,708.

relineated in these several illustrations is of standard construction in that it comprises a number of longitudinally arranged knitting sections, such as comprehended by Fig. II, between cross frames 10 and. 11. As usual, the needle bar 12 associated with each of the knitting sections carries two sets of needles 13 for knitting as many stocking blanks at one time. Through pivotal connection with a pair of arms 14 on a rock shaft 15 which extends horizontally of the upper part of the machine, vertical reciprocatory motion is imparted to the needle bar 12 relative to the sinkers 16 incident to production of knitted fabric in the customary manner. The

narrowing mechanism of the machine is generally designated by the numeral 17, its longitudinally spaced forwardly reaching frame arms 18 being secured to a horizontal rock shaft 19 at the rear of the top of the machine. As usual, the narrowing mechanism frame arms 18 carry at their forward ends, horizontal rod 20 to which are secured, at intervals, a number of drop brackets 21 for guiding the horizontal slide rods '22, 23, whereon are mounted the narrowing combs 24, 25 respectively. During fashioning of the stocking blanks, the narrowing mechanism 17 receives dipping motion from a double lobed cam 26 on the main cam shaft 27 of themachine, said cam having two low spots 26a, 26?) at diametrically opposite points and being influential upon a horizontal roller arm 28. This roller arm is swingable about a fulcrum on the cross frame 11, and pivotally connected to the lower end of a vertical link 29 which is in turn pivotally connected at the top to the rod 20 aforementioned. At 30 in Figs. I and II, I show a mechanism for nullifying one of the-two usual dips of the narrowing mechanism 17 for the purposes of automatic welt closure after a manner later on fully explained. This mechanism 30 is identical in construction and operation with the mechanism provided for performing the corresponding function in the copending appli ation supra. As illustrated, it comprises a lever 31 which is independently rockable about the stitch regulating shaft 32 of the machine, said arm having its upper end together with a vertical roller arm 38.

clevised and rounded as at 33 to engage a collar34 on a rod 35. This rod 35 connects with a lever 36 which is secured to a horizontal rock shaft 37 at the rear end of the 1118011111318 y means of a handle 39, a roller 40 is shiftable along a laterally extending axis stud 41 at the top of the lever 31,.into the path of a supplemental rotary cam 42 which is secured to the main cam shaft 27'adjacent the cross frame 11. The supplemental cam 42, it will be observed from Fig. II, has a single rise 42a, whereby, through the lever 31, the vertical roller arm 38 is pulled forward to intercept the horizontal roller arm 28 as the low spot 26a of the cam 26 passes the roller on the last mentioned arm. The narrowing mechanism 17 is thereby held raised until the low spot 26?) of the cam 26 reaches the roller on the horizontal arm 28 to bring about the single dip necessary for thepurposes of this invention. Also, as in the patent application supra, I here employ welt bars 45 having hooks 46 with pivoted latches 47 that extend somewhat beyond the ends'of said hooks when in closed position. Latched hooks of the type described lend themselves to being readily opened by devices such as indicated at 48 3 0 in Figs. I and II. said devices being similar to a latch opening device described and claimed in another co-pending application filed by Harold F. Padget on January 17, 1930, Serial No. 421,547. Several of such latch opening devices 48 may be provided for each knitting machine and placed at convenient intervals along its length. In the present instance I have shown the latch opening device 48 as being supported by one of the brackets 49 which project outwardly from the top bed rail 50 of the machine and afford journal support to the usual fabric take-up rollers 51, see'Figs. I and-II.

Having now generally described the knitting machine herein'illustrated and the auxiliary equipment ithat enables the narrowing-r mechanism to be utilized in automatically closing the stocking welts, I will now pro-' ceed to the novel provisions made for definitely positioning and securing the welt bars individually to the frame of saidnarrowing mechanism. By reference to Figs. II and III,it willbe observed that to each of the welt bars 45 are secured adjacent the ends,

lugs 53 with extensions 54 which are recessed as at 55 to engage over the lower of the two narrowing comb carrying slide rods 22, 23 of the "narrowing mechanism 17 as shown in Figs. I, III and V. Centrally of the welt bar 45 and intermediate the lugs 53 is secured a third lug 56 having an aperture for registry with an outwardly projecting stud pin 57 on a supplemental drop bracket 58 fast on the horizontal 'rod 20 of the narrowing mechanism 17 there being one such bracket medially between adjacent pairs of rowing comb carryin the drop brackets 21 hereinbefore referred to, see Fig. II. The supplemental brackets 58 are s lit vertically to clear the rod 20; and

they a 0rd additional guidance to the narexactly with the needles 13 of the machine.

As a means for firmly securing the welt bars 45' against dislodgment on the frame of the narrowing mechanism 17 durin fabric loop transfer, a manipulating hand e 60 is associated with each of the supplemental drop brackets 58, said handle being fulcrumed on a fixed stud 61. As the handle 60 ismoved anti-clockwise from the dot-and-dash line to the full line position in Fig. III, a cam projection 62 thereof is swung crosswise over the central lug 56 of the corresponding welt bar 45, thereby clamping said bar rigidly to the frame of the narrowing mechanism 17. In this connection it is to be particularly noted that standard welt bars may be converted for the purposes of my invention simply by attachment of the lugs 53, 56. It is also to be noted that no changes are entailed in the machine to incorporate my invention therein, since the supplemental brackets 58 that serve the stud pins 57 and the rocking ience of ready placement over the rods 20, 22 and 23.

' The procedure in producing stocking 1e blanks. with the equipment herein disclose is as follows:

After opening of the latches 47 of the welt bar hooks 46 by manipulation of the welt bars 45 in the devices 48, said welt bars are placed on the guides 65 provided for them on the top bed rail 50 of the machine (-Figs. I

and II) and slid inward along the guides to position their hooks between the needles 13. All being now inreadiness for starting, the machine is set in motion to' knit a single course of fabric loops over the hooks 46 of the welt bars 45, whereupon said bars are connected to the straps 66 (Fig. I) of the take-up rollers 51. After accomplishment of the last described step, the machine is again started and proceeds with the knitting until lengths of fabric sufficient for the stocking welts have been produced, when automatic stoppage of the machine is brought about in a known manner. At this 'uncture, the welt bars 45 are detached from t e straps 66 of the take-up rollers 51, and mounted on the frame of the narrowing mechanism 17, care being exercised in this 0 ration to insure proper engagement of t e lugs 53 on the bars with the lower narrowing comb slide rod 23 of said narrowing mechamsm as well as proper registry ofv the apertured central handles 60 are split for convenlugs 56 with the stud pins 57 on the supplemental drop brackets 58. The handles 60 are then swung to the full line positions of Figs. II-IV to clamp the welt bars 45 firmly in place on the frame of the narrowing mechanism. The operator next manually shifts the roller 40 on the lever 31 of the mechanism 30 (Figs. I and II) into the path of the supplemental rotary cam 42 and once more starts the machine to bring about a single rotation of the cam shaft 27, with attendant transfer of the fabric loops from the hooks of the welt bars to the needles 13 and closing of the stocking welts exactly as explained in my patent application, Serial No. 430,566.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination in a full fashioned hosiery knitting machine embodying a series 2g of needles, and narrowing mechanism capable of dipping movement toward and away from the needles; of welt closing mechanism comprising a welt bar adapted for application to the narrowing mechanism, means for 25 horizontally and vertically allocating the welt bar on said narrowing mechanism, and a handle with a cam swingable over the welt bar to releasably clamp it in place so that the fabric loops thereon may be automatically ac transferred to the needles by dipping movement of the narrowing mechanism to close the welt-s of stockings knit on the machine.

2. The combination in a full fashioned hosiery knitting machine embodying a series of 85 needles, and narrowing mechanism capable of dipping action to move the loop engaging fingers on its horizontal slide rods toward and away from the needles; of welt closing mechanism comprising a welt bar adapted to be mounted on the narrowing mechanism. said bar being provided at opposite ends with recessed lugs to engage over one of the slide rods of the narrowing mechanism, and means for releasably securing the welt bar in place so that the fabric loops thereon may be automatically transferred to the needles by dipping movement of the narrowing mechanism to close the welts of stockings knit on the machine.

3. The combination in a full fashioned hosiery knitting machine embodying a series of needles and narrowing mechanism capable of dipping action to move the loopengaging fingers on the narrowing rods toward and away from the needles; welt closing mechanism comprising a welt bar adapted for application to the narrowing mechanism, said bar being provided with recessed lugs to engage over one of the rods of the narrowing mechanism and an apertured lug for registry with a pin on the narrowing mechanism whereby said transfer bar is definitely positioned, and means for releasabl securing the welt bar in place so that the fa ric loops thereon may be automatically transferred to the needles by dipping movement of the narrowing mechanism to close the welts of stockings knit on the machine.

4. The combination in a, full fashioned hosiery knitting machine embodying a series of needles and narrowing mechanism capable of dipping action to move the loop engaging fingers on its horizontal slide rods toward and away from the needles; of welt closing mechanism comprising a welt bar adapted to be mounted on the narrowing mechanism, said bar being provided at opposite ends with recessed lugs to engage over one of the rods of the narrowing mechanism, and at the center with an apertured lug for registry with a pin on the narrowing mechanism, whereby said transfer bar is definitely positioned, and means for releasably securing the welt bar in place so that the fabric loops thereon may be automatically transferred to the needles by dipping movement of the narrowing mechanism to close the welts of stockings knit on the machine.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 10th day of April, 1930.

JOSEPH HAINES, JR. 

